


least i've got you in my head

by misprinting



Category: Crooked Media RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Bisexuality, Coming Out, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Favs & Emily, Homophobic Language, Jealousy, M/M, Mentioned homophobia - not the focus, Multi, Mutual Pining, Pining, Polyamory, Prom, characters are 18, mature for language, one instance, queer not as a slur
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-23
Updated: 2019-04-23
Packaged: 2020-01-12 22:35:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18455996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misprinting/pseuds/misprinting
Summary: “You watch, Favreau,” Lovett says. “I’ll find myself a nice young boy, take him to prom, and bam, the Principal will be - disappointed - all, ‘Jon, this just isn’t the time for you to be center of attention,’ and ask me to leave.”“Again, who is this boy?” Tommy asks his DQ.Lovett pointedly ignores him.





	least i've got you in my head

**Author's Note:**

  * For [preciousthings](https://archiveofourown.org/users/preciousthings/gifts).



> Thank you thank you thank you, preciousthings, for your delightful prompt! You gave me so many different things to play with and I hope you don't mind that I took a couple and ran with them. This is one of my favourite ships I've not written for, so I hope you like them here, and I hope the pining and the fake relationship are both satisfyingly trope-y. Hope you like it!
> 
> Title comes from Sleepover, Hayley Kiyoko, because I'm lesbian jesus trash and her songs are delightful to write to.
> 
> (The, uh, soundtrack nonsense is totally self-indulgent, so please view it as obviously entirely optional. I was going for a ~thing.)
> 
> ((This is set in some nebulous time that might be now and might be when these guys were actually in high school? I couldn't decide, so I just didn't think about it too much. Sorry to everyone I know that will bother. I have also never been a US high school student so apologies for all inaccuracies and every time they should have been fretting about going to college but don't, because I don't know anything about how applying to colleges works in the US so just decided to... ignore it. This is solely about prom, and coming out, and pining, and polyamory. That's it, folks.))

ACT ONE

_FADE IN:_

**_INT. DAIRY QUEEN – AFTERNOON_ **

_Soundtrack:[Lily Allen, Fuck You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=SN&hl=fr&v=yFE6qQ3ySXE)_

_Three high schoolers sit around a cramped table-for-two in a brightly-lit mall food hall._

_LOVETT, an eighteen-year-old high school senior, says something indistinct, waving his plastic spoon around wildly, in danger of knocking his backpack off the bench next to him where it’s providing a barrier between TOMMY - a taller, blonder, WASPier high school senior - and him. FAVS - a Catholic, dark haired version of TOMMY - opposite, throws his head back to laugh in reaction._

_TOMMY smiles, pretending he’s paying attention and gets the joke. He’s pretending he wasn’t just zoned out, looking at FAVS’ Adam’s apple as it moved as he’d swallowed._

_TOMMY shoves a large spoonful of DQ in his mouth and hides a wince at the sudden brain freeze._

+++

 _Get a grip, Vietor,_ Tommy tells himself.

Lovett is still mid-rant as Tommy tunes back into the Jon and Jon show. His face is flushed, his eyes are bright, and he has that expression on his face that makes Tommy realize what it is that makes Favs want to be so close to him all the damn time.

Which would be fine, if Lovett gave a shit about Tommy’s opinion on anything.

Tommy’s over it, though.

“I just think, you know, who do they think they are?” Lovett says, gesturing wildly in Tommy’s general direction again.

He doesn’t think Lovett’s ranting about anyone tangentially connected to him, but it wouldn’t be new if he were, and he has been zoned out since this rant was about Abercrombie models ten minutes ago. It’s had time to morph to seven different things in that time. Favs would have just let it, too, and laughed in the right places as it happened. Made Lovett do that crinkled-in-satisfaction thing with his nose as he’s listened to, which, yeah, now Tommy’s looking and it’s there.

Tommy thinks wistfully of the times before Lovett (B.L.?, he idly wonders), when his and Favs’ idea of hanging out was Tommy and him playing lacrosse or Tommy being an awkward third-wheel with Favs and his current girlfriend and which involved 100% less being angry at everything for comedic effect.

Though, Tommy acknowledges, the awkward third-wheel thing didn’t feel that different to this.

“If I want to take my boyfriend to prom,” Lovett is saying. “Who’re the prom committee to stop me? Or the teachers? Or the Principal? Fuck ‘em all. What’d they do if I just turned up with a boy, d’y’think? Call the Police?”

Tommy raises an eyebrow. Favs is still smiling indulgently at Lovett, shrugging and making a vaguely amused, vaguely sympathetic face at him. It’s so much like the way Favs normally is with the girls he dates that Tommy feels a lump rise in his throat that comes out as him saying, “what boyfriend?”

He doesn’t mean to sound like such a bitch, but.

Like Lovett often says with a patronizing back-pat, _you can’t help what you are, Tommy._

Lovett turns a look on Tommy that nearly looks friendly, if not for the cold, cold eyes. They narrow slightly and he says, “You, Tommy, if you play your cards right.” He purses his lips to give Tommy a sarcastic air-kiss.

Tommy rolls his eyes and doesn’t apologize. He folds his arms.

“You’re the one who’s always saying, _‘there are no gay guys in this stupid small town,’”_ Tommy reminds him.

“Uh, no, I don’t,” Lovett says, turning in his seat to face Tommy with the full force of his cold look. “ _Statistically_ , there must be plenty of queer people in this stupid small town. I’m just the only _out_ guy I know of.”

Tommy resists rolling his eyes again, keeping a bland, unimpressed expression fixed on his face.

“So what’s your plan?” Tommy asks. “Are you just going to rant at all your friends about it for the last month of school, or are you going to hunt down all the closeted guys in a five-mile radius and ask each of them to prom?”

Lovett’s narrowed eyes go for an all-out glare for a moment. 

“Do you really think they’d not let you go?” Favs asked, earnestly and not at all cutting in to avoid conflict. “Guys go Stag all the time; groups of friends go together all the time. Last year, Rashida _dumped me_ so she could go to prom with her girlfriends.” He quickly glances at Tommy, then back to Lovett, as if checking quickly that Tommy hasn’t had a heart attack at the mention of last year’s prom, or something. Tommy tries not to let it bother him, and Jon quickly adds, “What’s the difference?”

Lovett’s attention is back on Favs, so he doesn’t hide a moment of hesitation like he would have if he’d remembered Tommy was still there.

“The Principal hates me,” Lovett says. “He’s homophobic.”

Favs blanches.

“He is _not_ ,” he says.

“Then how come,” Lovett says, leaning forward and using his spoon as a pointer, animated. “When I transferred, his advice to me was, ‘ _Jon, I can’t tell you what to do, but if I were you, I’d keep my head down and just try to blend in.’_ He put his hand on my shoulder and looked at me earnestly, too, you know, like an uncle does. _‘It’s your Senior year, Jon. Make the most of it!_ ’”

Favs frowns. “That sounds… encouraging?”

Lovett scoffs. “Of course it does. He’s your hero.” Lovett shakes his head. “ _Keep your head down_ ,” he repeats. “It’s censorship.”

“That’s… a bit far,” Favs says, as Tommy laughs at how ridiculous Lovett is.

“You watch, Favreau,” Lovett says. “I’ll find myself a nice young boy, take him to prom, and _bam_ , the Principal will be - disappointed - all, ‘ _Jon, this just isn’t the time for you to be center of attention,’_ and ask me to leave.”

“Again, who is this boy?” Tommy asks his DQ.

Favs gives Tommy a disapproving look.

Lovett pointedly ignores him.

Tommy’s not sure which one makes him feel smaller.

“Keep your _head down_ ,” Lovett says again, still playing at being incensed.

+++

_TOMMY finishes his DQ, says he needs to be home soon, and leaves._

_FAVS and LOVETT continue without him, just fine._

_FADE OUT._

**_EXT. LOVETT RESIDENCE - NIGHT_ **

_Soundtrack:[BANKS, Underdog](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQ4oE_tL7IA)_

_TOMMY stands at LOVETT’s front door, his hands shoved into his pockets. He’s frowning at the ground and stands there for several silent moments without moving. A car drives past and turns in a few houses down. The door can be heard opening and slamming shut, and the noise seems to queue TOMMY into lifting his hand and knocking at the door._

+++

“What’re you doing here?” Lovett asks, standing illuminated from behind in his doorway. All the little misbehaving hairs he never seems to get to conform to his hair style are visible in the backlight, and Tommy has the strange urge to flatten them to his head.

“Um,” Tommy starts. “You don’t really think the Principal’s homophobic, do you?”

Lovett looks at him for a moment in what is either disbelief or consideration - the shadows on his face make it hard to tell, and easier, somehow to be watched by him. He folds his arms.

“I wouldn’t have accused him of it in front of his biggest fan if I didn’t,” Lovett says. “What else do you think ‘ _keep your head down_ ’ means?”

Tommy shrugs. “Just… that?” He asks. He’s pretty sure Lovett rolls his eyes at him. Tommy feels the frustration that’s ever-present in his conversations with Lovett well up in him as he says, “What, so you think he took one look at you and thought, _he must be gay; better warn him off being too gay at **my** school_? Now who’s homophobic?”

He might not be able to see it happening, but Tommy feels the way Lovett bristles in the air between them.

“Fuck off,” Lovett tells him. He moves out onto his front porch and shuts the door behind him, whispering furiously, “He knew I was gay because I got bullied so badly at my old school for being a… a _faggot_ that my parents decided to move _states_.” 

Tommy flounders.

“Oh,” he says, after a moment. “I… didn’t know. That.”

Lovett definitely rolls his eyes. “No shit,” he says.

Lovett had told Favs, and Favs had told Tommy, that Lovett’s parents had moved for his mom’s job. He’d always been a bit squirrelly about talking about his old school, and the only friend he ever talked about was a guy called Spencer who Lovett made sound too good to be true, but Tommy hadn’t thought Lovett had been Out at his old school, let alone this.

“Sorry,” Tommy says. “I guess that does make the Principal sound kind of homophobic.”

Lovett shrugs. His hands are in his pockets now, too, mirroring Tommy’s pose and, Tommy hopes, feeling just as uncomfortable as he is.

“Did you really come across the street to ask me that?” Lovett asks. The streetlights don’t light his face up that well, but Tommy sees him raise an eyebrow. “I have a phone,” he says.

Tommy nods, then says, “no, I know. That’s not all I came over for.”

Lovett watches him. “Okay,” he says. “And?”

Tommy thinks, _if either of us were Favs, this’d be the point where there’d be an invite inside_ , and it’s the worst time to be reminded that he and Lovett are not friends. Not on their own, anyway. But he has a plan, and now he definitely needs to go through with it.

“Would you like to go to prom with me?” Tommy makes himself ask.

Silence crackles between them.

As an afterthought, Tommy pulls the piece of printer card he’d taken from the office at home out of his back pocket and holds it out to Lovett. He’d used his pack of highlighters to write ‘WOULD YOU BE MY PROM DATE?’ in multicolored letters.

It’s about as far from the way he’d asked, last time, as he could get, but he hadn’t wanted to just ask. It just didn’t feel right, not to at least take something to give to Lovett, and he hadn’t known if flowers would be too much. Besides, he’d done flowers last times, and besides besides, no florist is open at 8pm Friday.

“Ha. Fucking. Ha,” Lovett says, having taken another silent, tense moment to stare back and forth between Tommy and the card he’s holding out. He sounds about as ready to hear a joke as someone at a funeral.

“I’m not joking,” Tommy says. “I mean, if you do get that boyfriend in the meantime I won’t mind if you go with him instead, obviously, but I wanted to… ask.”

“What the fuck.”

Tommy hesitantly pulls the card back towards himself and tries his best to explain, starting with, “I looked up the prom photos on the school website. There were some, uh, same-sex groups, but no couples, and it just-” He shrugs. “It’s not right.”

Lovett doesn’t say anything, eyes fixed on the card in Tommy’s hands.

“Even if you’re wrong and the Principal isn’t homophobic,” Tommy says. “If you think he is, or if those other statistically present closeted kids believe he is, and it makes someone less likely to feel like they can be who they are on what should be, you know, an important, fun night, then. That’s not okay.” He shrugs, and when Lovett doesn’t interrupt for maybe the first time in Tommy’s memory, he adds, “I know I’m not your first choice, or anything, but I know Favs is going with Em, Dan’s probably going to ask Hanna, and you’ve been moaning all semester about all your debate friends being coupled off, so.” Tommy shrugs. “I figured I might be your last choice, but I wanted to ask anyway.”

Lovett’s voice is nearly steady when he finally says, “so you thought it’d be fun pretending to be gay for a night.”

Tommy laughs. “I’m not pretending to be gay,” he says. He nearly adds, _I like girls, too_ , but doesn’t trust himself to say, _too_ outloud, so just doesn’t say any of it. It’s not lying, that way. “I’m not asking anyone else, anyway, so I’ll be going stag if you don’t want to go together. It’s up to you. I think it could be fun, though.”

Lovett wasn’t here when the thing with Katie happened last year, but either Favs has told him already or he just doesn’t care, because he doesn’t press Tommy on his reasons for not asking Hanna or one of the other perfectly wonderful girls in their extended friendship group.

“Fun,” Lovett repeats, instead, not quite as a question but definitely not as a statement of truth. He considers Tommy for a few more weighty moments - Tommy tries not to fidget, mostly succeeding, though he does chew on his own bottom lip - before finally saying, “give me that,” and snatching the card from Tommy’s hands. He studies it with what’s trying to be a mocking smile but is just a little bit too soft. “You couldn’t use check boxes?” Lovett asks.

“I’d rather you just told me yes or no,” Tommy says.

Lovett sighs, sounding happy and put-upon in what is a particularly Lovett combination. “Fine, sure, let’s go to prom together and be big queer heroes.”

Tommy smiles, feeling it grow further across his face than he’d given it permission to do. There’s something that sings in his blood at the rebelliousness of it. “Cool,” he says. “Uh… should we wear, like, matching ties, or…?”

Lovett laughs. “Fuck’s sake, are we getting married?” he asks. Then says, “I mean, obviously, yes, we should, but fuck, Tommy, am I the gay one?” 

Tommy finds himself grinning. “Yes,” he says. “What, uh, color should we-”

Lovett rolls his eyes. He grabs onto Tommy’s wrist, pulls him to his door and opens it.

“Crouch down,” Lovett says, dropping Tommy’s wrist like it was nothing to hold on to it and nothing to drop it. “What color are your stupidly blue eyes?”

“Um, blue?” Tommy says, crouching. Lovett leans close, looking intently into his eyes. It’s a shock, only because Lovett’s normally so precious about his personal space, but Tommy holds still and wills himself to stay as pasty-pale as normal.

“I think maybe green?” Lovett says. “You’ve got really, like, pale eyes. So. And mine are muddy, so green will, like, bring them both out, maybe.”

Tommy pictures an ugly khaki or swamp color and asks, “you mean like an emerald, right?”

Lovett smiles at him, looking pleased. “Sure, an emerald,” he says. “Or teal, or something. I don’t know, I don’t know all the color names. I’ll get one of my dad’s paint catalogues or something. We’ll go to the mall next week and pick some out.”

“Okay,” Tommy says. “Can I stand up now?”

“Oh. Yeah,” Lovett says. “Be tall.”

Tommy laughs mostly by rote, feeling a little unsteady from the light in his eyes as he stands back where he’d started, looking at a silhouetted Lovett in his doorway. Lovett’s holding onto the card carefully, Tommy notices, and tells himself he doesn’t even want to read into that. It’s not _Lovett_ he thinks about when he touches his dick. Mostly it’s not, anyway.

“Um, thanks, Lovett,” Tommy says. He hesitates, then says, “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?” because he’s not even sure what else he’s waiting for.

“Sure,” Lovett says.

Tommy is on the bottom step of the porch when Lovett adds, “Tommy, you know I’m not going to thank you, right?”

Tommy laughs. “I don’t want you to,” he says.

Lovett looks at him, as if he’s checking to see if he believes him, then smiles, says, “night,” and shuts the door.

+++

_TOMMY jogs back over to his place, suddenly full of unspent energy._

_He doesn’t stop grinning all the way back to his room._

_FADE OUT._

**_INT. SCHOOL CAFETERIA - NOON_ **

_Soundtrack:[MIKA / Ariana Grande, Popular Song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmcdLOjGVzw)_

_LOVETT holds court at a packed cafeteria table, TRAVIS - junior; blond; listens to indie music and dresses like he’s mostly grown out of an ill-advised skateboard phase; comic relief - at his right hand; FAVS at his left. TOMMY sits on FAVS’ other side, talking quietly with HANNA - junior; brunette; beautiful and very smart._

_EM - blonde; junior; FAVS’ will-they-won’t-they love interest; as beautiful as HANNA, as funny as LOVETT, and as perfect as FAVS - pushes her way into a seat opposite FAVS._

+++

Em leans her way over two other people to hand her phone to Hanna, who looks at it, goes a kind of starry-eyed Tommy didn’t think existed outside of that one song, and says, “holy shit, Favreau, you’re a lucky guy.”

Over her shoulder, Tommy sees a picture of Em in a stunning deep red dress, full length, with some sort of magic going on to make it backless and form-fitting at the same time. _How do dresses work?_ Tommy thinks, avoiding thinking about how hot Em looks in the dress past the obvious because he respects her and Hanna’s slap an equal amount. 

“Em, you look stunning,” he says instead, earning himself a bright, happy smile.

“Gimme,” Lovett says, making the universal sign for _hand it over_ with both of his hands.

“Don’t let Favs see,” Hanna says, laughing as Favs blushes and laughs.

“It’s not like I’m going to take back asking her if I don’t like her dress,” he says. “You always look beautiful,” he tells Em.

“Flatterer,” she tells him, pleased.

Lovett looks at the dress for a good few seconds, then says, “shit, you’re gorgeous, Em. That dress looks so brave and so cool. I want a dress.” He pauses, and something in Tommy, deep down, warns him to look up and catch his eyes a second before Lovett says, “Tommy, you wouldn’t mind if I wore a dress, would you?”

Tommy stares at him.

Travis says, “why would Tommy mind?”

And Tommy swallows, glances quickly at Favs to see he’s frowning in confusion, and says, “I, uh, thought we were doing the matching ties thing.”

“Why’re you wearing matching ties?” Favs asks, lightly.

“Oh my god,” Em says.

“I asked Lovett to prom,” Tommy tells him. Or, them, he supposes, since the whole table is now listening. “On Friday. So we’re going to wear matching ties, and… stuff.”

Hanna says, “Aww, Tommy, I had no idea!” and hugs him, and Em says, “that’s so great!” and Travis says, “woah, that’s a left-field, last quarter surprise,” and Lovett asks, “how many of those words do you understand?”

Favs says, “Oh.”

“It’s not-” Tommy starts to say, but then Em says, “I’m really happy for you, Tommy. I thought… I didn’t know if you were even going to come to prom this year, after last year.”

Tommy’s mouth goes dry, and she’s smiling at him so happily, and the words, “we’re just friends and sometimes we’re barely even that,” just don’t come out.

Lovett, watching them, meets Tommy’s look, takes in whatever he sees there - panic? A desperation to no longer be having this conversation? - and says, “Yeah, yeah, we’re very happy, but-”

And the bell goes.

+++

_TOMMY lets the congratulations, ribbing, questions and back pats wash over him as he stands, gathers his things, and starts heading to class._

_Briefly, he locks eyes with FAVS, who looks confused and ever-so-slightly wounded._

_TOMMY turns away, following LOVETT out of the doors._

_FADE OUT._

 

**_INT. TOMMY’S BEDROOM - DUSK_ **

_Soundtrack:[Hayley Kiyoko, Sleepover](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6jxPFtIAnw)_

_FAVS, sitting on the floor, legs pulled up, opens his mouth to speak several times without saying anything._

_TOMMY sits on his bed, hands pressed between his knees, and waits._

+++

Tommy tells himself he’s being patient, but the longer Favs takes to say something, the harder he presses his knees together to keep his hands from shaking.

“You… and Lovett,” Favs says, finally, not looking at Tommy. “I’m happy for you, but where did that come from?”

“It’s not-” Tommy trails off, finding it much harder to reply than he’d expected while waiting. When he’d been waiting, he’d had words bubbling, waiting, and now it’s like they’ve all popped. He’s feeling unmoored and can’t really say why except that it has something to do with the way Favs had said ‘happy’, and it makes Tommy say, “you don’t _sound_ happy.”

Favs inhales, exhales, not looking at Tommy. “I am,” he insists. “I’m surprised, though. Really surprised. I didn’t even know you… liked guys.”

The way he says those last two words punctures something internally in Tommy’s belly.

Tommy opens his mouth to tell Favs that Lovett’s just a friend, and he’s barely that, most days, and hears himself instead say, “Well, now you know.”

“So, you’re gay?” Favs asks. 

“No.” Tommy glances at the door instinctually. “I’m bi, I guess.”

“Oh,” Favs says. He brings a hand up and scrubs it over his too-short hair, a nervous tick he’s had ever since he shaved it short last summer. Tommy remembers, with a golden tint, a day at the beginning of their friendship with Lovett, before it had become the Jon and Jon show, Lovett touching Favs’ newly shaved head, Favs letting him. Tommy swallows.

Favs asks, “when were you going to tell me?” His voice sounds wet and the opposite of calm, but whether that’s angry or just upset is not something Tommy can guess. Before he can answer, Favs continues anyway, asking, “was this how you wanted to tell me? Just: hey, Jon, I’m dating our best friend.”

Tommy shakes his head, but Favs isn’t looking, and that’s nearly as annoying just on its own as ‘best friend’ is, so Tommy finds himself saying, “of course not. I hadn’t planned on telling you at all.”

Favs looks at him then, which does feel like a victory even as Favs’ sad eyes make him feel like a monster. “Why not?” Favs asks, the upset audible in his voice, though it’s definitely filtered through frustration.

“Your stellar reaction now might be one reason,” Tommy tells him.

He immediately wants to take it back, but Favs just frowns, says, “oh.” And then, “that’s fair, I guess. It’s just so…”

He stands up, says, “I’m happy for you both. Really.” Claps Tommy on the shoulder, lingers what feels to Tommy like a second too long, then lets go. “Sorry. Sorry I found out when you didn’t want me to.” 

He’s out of the door before Tommy can tell him to stop, and then Tommy has two options: follow him, and risk his mom hearing their conversation, or let him go.

+++

_TOMMY lets him go._

_He falls back on his bed, presses his hands to his eyes, and lets out a quiet scream of frustration._

_Distantly, a front door slams shut._

_FADE OUT._  

 

**_EXT. LOVETT RESIDENCE - NIGHT_ **

_Soundtrack:[Grey & Bahari, I Miss You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11M3E0G6k2Y)_

_TOMMY, wearing the same clothes from the previous scene, knocks smartly on the door. He makes polite conversation with the middle-aged motherly lady who answers the door, and then waits alone for a moment before LOVETT joins him at the door._

_LOVETT steps out, pulling the door shut behind him, and leans past TOMMY to turn the porch light on. Suddenly illuminated, Tommy winces at the bright mosquito light._

+++

“We’ve got to stop meeting like this,” Lovett says, jokey, in that tone of voice he uses when he’s quoting something.

Tommy rolls his eyes, half-a-smile on his lips despite himself.

“So?” Lovett asks.

“What, we’re dating but I’m still not a ‘come inside’ friend?” Tommy asks, because being kind-of-a-dick is second nature around Lovett by now.

Lovett rolls his eyes. “You’re still only a pretend gay, unless things have changed drastically since we last spoke, Tommy,” he says. Then, after a pause, he asks, “so. Do you want to come in?” his voice flat.

Tommy shakes his head. “No. Um. Nothing’s drastically changed,” he says. “But I do need to talk to you. It shouldn’t take long.”

Lovett nods. “Cool. I’m half-way through a Star Trek marathon and I don’t want to miss the best bits.” He gestures, sort of imperiously and definitely dorkily. “Come on.”

“I just…” Tommy chews his lip. “I told Favs I’m bi. But I didn’t tell him we’re not actually dating. Again. And he was…” Tommy trails off, swallows, and continues. “And it occurred to me that you should probably know, too, since neither of us have managed to actually correct our well-meaning friends who now think we’re dating and maybe you’ll be pissed off too that I didn’t tell you. Or. I don’t know.”

“Wait.” Lovett tells him. He studies Tommy under the too bright light for a moment, making Tommy want to squirm from the attention. “You’re… bi.”

Tommy stops himself, like Lovett told him to, takes a breath, and says, “yeah, I am.”

Lovett looks at him like he’s just grown an extra head, but not necessarily in a bad way. Like, in a world where growing an extra head would be of some sort of evolutionary benefit, but still pretty unusual, that’s how Lovett’s looking at him.

“Wow,” Lovett says. “Well, the statistics are proven right again.”

Tommy, feeling almost light-headed, laughs.

Lovett grabs Tommy’s wrist, just like he did on Friday night, but pulls him to the steps this time. He tugs on it until Tommy gets what he’s doing and sits on the second step. Lovett sits on the top one, so he’s taller for once, and, again, drops Tommy’s wrist.

“Thanks for telling me,” Lovett says. “It’s cool, that you still like girls, but it’s very cool that you like guys.”

Tommy laughs again, feeling steadier. Lovett’s shoulder knocks against his, probably accidentally, but Tommy knocks Lovett’s shoulder with his in return and says, “thanks, I think so, too,” getting a smile for his trouble, even if it’s directed at Lovett’s knees.

“And Favs wasn’t…” Lovett prompts.

“Yeah,” Tommy says. “He was, uh. Shocked, I guess.”

Lovett frowns. “Was he a dick about it?”

Tommy shrugs. “I think we both were, a bit,” he says. “I’m not being fair to him. I’m comparing him to a… to a, um, fantasy version of him.”

“Oh,” Lovett says, like he gets that, but then asks, “What do you mean, a fantasy?”

Tommy shrugs again. “I don’t know,” he says. “That, like, I’d tell him, and he’d say, _Tommy, you’re the love of my life_.” He says it in his best Favs impression, and he laughs, because it’s a joke, and it’s a joke that it isn’t a joke, and because his eyes are stinging. And if its laugh or cry, he’ll take the crazy-person look.

“Oh,” Lovett says again. This time it sounds sad. His eyes, when he looks at Tommy, are understanding. “That really sucks. Sorry, Tommy,” he says.

Tommy nods. “Thanks,” he says.

Lovett’s shoulder bumps against his again, only this time it stays close, warm, and Tommy feels himself relax a little, the lump in his throat subsiding a tiny bit.

“So, he still thinks we’re dating?” Lovett asks.

Tommy nods. “Sorry,” he says. “I was going to tell him right after I told him about me, but.”

Lovett shrugs. “I don’t mind,” he says. “I’m the one dating a hot blond. I have no issue with letting our friends think you’d go for me for basically as long as you want.”

Tommy laughs. “You hate me,” he says, bluntly.

Lovett turns to look at him, face transformed by shock. “What?” He asks. “What about this-” he gestures between them “-situation gives you _that_ impression?”

Tommy raises an eyebrow. “Well,” he says. “The constant jokes at my expense, always hanging out with Favs without me, mocking my eyebrows in the school newspaper… wonder what could have given me that impression?”

Lovett scoffs. “Don’t give me that crap,” he says. “I only did any of that because of what a little bitch you are whenever I spend- Oh.” He stops himself, looks at Tommy again, and that same sad, understanding expression replaces the indignation he’d been building up to on his face. “It’s because I took Favs away, and I made you jealous. That’s why we don’t like each other.”

Lovett laughs.

“So it’s all my fault?” Tommy says, rather than argue that Lovett’s wrong, because Lovett’s not at all wrong. Not even a little bit wrong.

“No, idiot,” Lovett tells him. “It’s Favs’ fault.” He puts his hand on his own chest. “I don’t like you because you’re a bitch to me when I take Favs’ attention and I don’t like you _because_ you take Favs’ attention, and you,” he takes his hand from his chest and rests it on Tommy’s shoulder. “Don’t like me because I take Favs’ attention and I’m a bitch to you when you take his attention. We’re jealous, queer _idiots_ who like the same dumb straight dude.”

Tommy gives himself a second. Lovett’s hand on his shoulder is a little distracting, but he manages to say, “you like him too.”

Lovett squeezes his shoulder before dropping it. “Yep,” he says, popping the p.

Tommy laughs. “That’s so stupid,” he says.

Lovett laughs, too. They lean into each other’s shoulders as their laughter turns hysterical. Lovett breaks it, once, to say, “we could have been friends this whole time,” and Tommy says, “ _all year_ ,” and it’s so pathetic, but they can’t stop until Tommy, at least, is leaking tears from his eyes and his chest hurts.

Calm again, Tommy says, “we should keep letting him think we’re together. Because I’m pissed with him, and… I don’t want him to realize how I feel.”

Lovett looks at him.

“Sure,” he says. “Whatever you want.”

Tommy looks at him to check, then just asks outright: “you’re okay with that?”

“Why not?” Lovett asks. He gives Tommy a really very sweet smile - one that makes Tommy think, _if I weren’t hung up on Favs, I’d think about showing you how dumb that comment about letting people think I’d go for you was_. Lovett adds a lighthearted, “sounds like fun.”

As an afterthought, Tommy adds, “fuck straight people.”

Lovett grins at him. “Fuck them sideways,” he says.

“Amen,” Tommy replies, seriously, grinning back at Lovett full force.

+++

_TOMMY and LOVETT remain sitting on the porch steps for another minute, before TOMMY stands, waves an awkward goodbye, and jogs across the street._

_Looking up at the FAVS’ window in the house next door, TOMMY isn’t sure, in the dark, if he sees a figure looking back at him or if it’s his imagination._

_He pauses, offering a silent wave, and enters his own house._

_FADE OUT._  

 

**_EXT. STREET - DAWN_ **

_Soundtrack:[Hozier, Almost (Sweet Music)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Irw04nbXwxk)_

_TOMMY meets FAVS in their habitual spot outside TOMMY’s house. They lean against the fence around the house and avoid looking at each other, looking instead across the street at LOVETT’s house. FAVS checks his watch. TOMMY looks at his feet._

+++

“Sorry about last night,” Tommy tells his feet, and also Favs, assuming he’s listening. He hooks his thumbs in his backpack straps and hangs on. “I did want you to know. Sorry.”

Favs nods.

“I’m sorry, too,” he says. “Really, Tom.” He checks him with his elbow. “You know I’m cool with it, right?”

Tommy smiles at him, forcing it a little bit, but only a little. “Yeah, I know. Thanks, Favs.”

Favs smiles at him, then huffs and grabs Tommy into a quick, bro hug.

“Hands off, Favs,” Lovett says, joining them. “He’s taken.”

“Jealous?” Tommy asks, grinning when Lovett sticks his tongue out at him. “Oh, I see,” he says.

Lovett rolls his eyes, smiling.

Favs turns and starts walking in the direction of school, content, it seems, to let Tommy and Lovett bicker from home to the school gates. 

It’s not so different from any other morning.

+++

 _TOMMY walks with purpose and confidence in his steps, LOVETT sticking close to him like a puppy. FAVS smiles fondly at them from time to time, still quiet in the early morning._

_FADE OUT._

END OF ACT ONE.

 

 

ACT TWO

_FADE IN:_

**_EXT. LOVETT RESIDENCE - NIGHT_ **

_Soundtrack:[Sigrid, Sight of You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6ulmsUQUeQ)_

_It is the same night when TOMMY came out to LOVETT. TOMMY is just leaving._

_LOVETT stands outside, watching TOMMY jog across the street back to his own house. LOVETT smiles absently as he watches him, then turns to go inside._

_He’s barely half-way up the stairs when there’s another knock on the door._

+++

“What?” Lovett asks, annoyed now, expecting Tommy on the other side and surprised, instead, when he sees Favs there.

Favs is dressed for bed, has pulled a hoodie on over what otherwise looks like his bare chest, so that’s unfair, and he’s shivering in his flannel pajama bottoms.

“Hey, Lovett. Sorry,” Favs says, worrying the sleeves of his hoodie. “I need to talk to you.”

Lovett rolls his eyes.

“Call me, dipshit,” he says. Favs smiles at him, slightly chagrined; not enough. Lovett steps out, closes the door behind himself, and says, “What, then?”

“Um,” Favs starts, which is not promising.

Lovett would really like to make it back to that Star Trek marathon and his chances of that go down every time he wastes his time on one of these bozos. He doesn’t make a move to go inside or hurry Favs up, though.

“You and Tommy…” Favs starts. “You’re…”

“We’re…” Lovett repeats back, only slightly mocking. “Yes, _we’re…_ Is that a problem?”

“No!” Favs says. Wide, miserable eyes entreat Lovett to believe him. “Course not.”

Lovett nods. “Cool,” he says. And waits, again, while Favs fiddles with his hoodie sleeves and doesn’t say anything. Finally Lovett says, “are you sure it’s not a problem? Because that’s not the impression you gave Tommy.”

“Oh,” Favs says, unsurprised and miserable. “Is he-? I mean, does he think I’m…” He trails off.

“I’m not getting in the middle,” Lovett tells him. “If you want to know what he thinks, you need to talk to him.” Fav’s face turns somehow even more miserable, so miserable Lovett can’t quite stand it, and Lovett gently shoves his shoulder and says, “but he’ll be fine. He blames himself at least as much as he blames you.”

Favs nods, sadly.

Lovett ruthlessly murders the impulse to hug him - takes the impulse, strangles it, crushes it with rocks.

“Was that what you came over for?” Lovett asks. “You realize Tommy’s house is closer, right?”

Favs pulls a face. “We’d probably fight again.” He shrugs. “I’ll make it up to him in the morning. Um. That’s what I’m here for, actually. I don’t know how to do it and I thought maybe you’d help me.”

Lovett frowns. “You think I know Tommy better than you?”

Favs’ lips turn down again and he looks down miserably at the floor for a moment, and just when he’d been coming out of it, too, but he shakes himself and squares his shoulders. “No,” Favs says. “I mean, I don’t need help with that part. I mean I want to make it up to him - both of you - by helping, and I thought you might have some ideas.”

“… Helping,” Lovett says, slowly. “You could come shopping with us at the weekend, if you want, I guess?” Lovett doesn’t try very hard to keep the confusion out of his voice and it makes Favs laugh, softly, under his breath, which feels as good as it always does. It’s a little gasp of happiness deep in Lovett’s belly.

It’s a good job the thing between Tommy and him is fake, because Lovett fully intends on emotionally cheating on his fake relationship as much and as often as possible.

“No, I mean… like. I don’t want you to have to deal with shit at prom, so…” Favs hesitates. “I want to help by, like, campaigning for you. I guess. If we make it something the school has no choice but to let happen, then you shouldn’t, um. I just want you to have a good night, I guess.” He squares his jaw the way he does when he’s being lacrosse captain and when he’s being student president; just like when he does it in those situations, it makes Lovett’s knees feel like less functioning parts of his skeleton than he’d ideally like. “I want Tommy to get to enjoy it.”

Faintly, still recovering from Favs’ jaw, Lovett gripes, “it’s just prom.”

Favs shrugs. “Yeah,” he says. “But Tommy told me there was no way he was going to ask anyone to go this year, and now he’s going with you, so. I want to make sure he’s not going to regret that.”

Earnest care burns in Favs’ shadowed expression. Lovett would punch him in the arm, but he’s not a puncher, so he steps on Favs’ foot instead.

“Dick,” he says. “As if there’s anything to regret when you’re with me.”

Favs laughs, dodging Lovett’s attempts to do him bodily harm with ease. He grabs on to Lovett’s shoulders to hold him still and at arm’s length, putting pause to Lovett’s attempts because fuck, Favs’ hands are warm and big and oh so satisfying to be held by, even with this much space between the rest of them.

“Obviously not what I meant, Lovett,” Favs says. “You wouldn’t be the problem.”

“Sure,” Lovett says, sobering. He forces a grin, though, and says, “how could I be? Bringing an abrasive, Jewish gay kid to prom; how could our perfect WASPy friend ever regret me?”

“Hey,” Favs says, stilling. “He’s lucky.”

Lovett resists the urge to squirm, trying to think of a joke to break the tension he’s making up in the air between them. Instead he says, “okay.”

“Really,” Favs says.

Lovett looks at him, properly, and Favs gives him an unreadable smile. “You are, too,” he says.

Lovett swallows. “Okay,” he repeats.

Favs squeezes his shoulders, dropping them a moment later and saying, “um, anyway. I’m going to help. So. I was thinking maybe a petition?”

Lovett sways where he’s standing; at least it feels that way. “A petition,” he says. “Sure? Um. Just… don’t use Tommy’s name.”

“Okay,” Favs says.

“Okay,” Lovett repeats, 90% of his brain taken up by processing whatever awkwardness he’s almost certainly either imagining or creating himself. 

“Great,” Favs says. “So… I’ll see you in the morning.”

He leans in, pulls Lovett into a hug, and for a second Lovett actually thinks it’s going to be a kiss instead and is so filled with nervous, terrified anticipation that the hug happens and is over before he has time to register it.

Favs walks away, wrapping his arms around himself in a shiver as Lovett whispers at his back, “what the fucking fuck.” He turns once he’s back on his own porch, waves at Lovett, and goes inside.

“Fuck,” Lovett says.

+++

_LOVETT stands on his porch, looking between FAVS and TOMMY’s houses opposite his for several long moments, until he’s shivering violently._

_He turns to go inside, changes his mind, turns, and holds both middle fingers up at the two houses._

_Turning back, his smile is small as he opens the door and heads back inside._

_FADE OUT._

 

**_INT. OUTSIDE THE PRINCIPAL’S OFFICE - MORNING_ **

_Soundtrack:[Frightened Rabbit, My Backwards Walk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTXA_q12hKg)_

_Sitting on standard school office chairs, backs to the wall, FAVS, LOVETT and TOMMY sit in silence, waiting. LOVETT has pulled his legs up onto the seat with him and is reading a book, flicking his eyes at the office door too often to actually be taking it in. TOMMY and FAVS have listed towards each other in their seats without seemingly realizing, exchanging worried glances every now and then. TOMMY’s leg is jumping up and down uncontrollably, while FAVS rubs his shaved head absently._

+++

Lovett sighs, puts his book away, and looks at Favs.

“Told you it was a dumb idea,” he says, just for the incredulous reaction.

“You did not,” Favs says.

 _Maybe I would have if you hadn’t been such a cocktease,_ Lovett thinks at him, and doesn’t say.

Tommy snorts. He checks Favs with his shoulder and says, “hey, I still appreciate the thought.” He gives Favs one of the smiles that starts small but lights up his whole face, given time, and Lovett watches as Favs smiles back, heartened despite himself.

Favs shrugs. He’s spent every free moment of his week hounding everyone they know, and then everyone left over who they don’t know, to sign his stupid (sweet, well-meaning petition). 

“It’s not over,” Favs tells Tommy. “He can’t ignore it; we’ve got basically the whole student population to sign it.”

“89%,” Lovett offers. “Remember to be specific, Favs.”

“Yeah, 89%,” Favs agrees. “I’m not going to give up just because I’m getting called into the Principal’s office.”

Tommy claps him on the shoulder. “I know,” he says. “I just mean, if this is all you do, it was still really good of you.”

Unless Lovett is very much mistaken, that’s a blush blooming its way across the back of Fav’s neck.

 _Interesting_ , he thinks, but doesn’t have time to study it further as the Principal’s office opens and the man himself steps out.

“Boys,” he says. Maybe disappointed, maybe just level. He’s not smiling, so he’s not pleased with them, but who knows, Lovett’s not the one in a one-man fan club for the guy. The Principal holds his door open and says, “Favreau, come in.”

Favs looks at both Lovett and Tommy quickly, then stands and walks inside.

The Principal gives them both a look, too. “This won’t take long,” he says, following Favs in and shutting the door.

Lovett blows a quiet raspberry at his back, catching Tommy’s eye and enjoying the way Tommy gives him a stern look even as he laughs, silently.

“So,” Lovett says. “What do we do when Favs caves?”

Tommy’s stern look sharpens. “He won’t,” he says.

“Please,” Lovett says. “ _Please_.”

“He won’t,” Tommy tells them both. “But… even if he does, I won’t. We’re going to the fucking prom together. Its none of anyone else’s business who either of us wants to take.”

Lovett shrugs. “We could just go to a diner,” he says. “Or, ooh, throw an alternate prom. Decorate it with rainbows. Have a unicorn cake. Make it a costume party instead of dressy, you know, because I’ve got this great gay couple costume idea and-”

“Lovett.” Tommy’s hand lands on Lovett’s shoulder and, like it’s an off-switch, Lovett stops talking. Tommy smiles at him. “That sounds actually really cool, but we’re going to go to prom. It’s important. You were right. You get to go to the prom with your boyfriend if you want to.”

His hand does this funny little stroking thing on Lovett’s shoulder and the base of his neck which is very… very nice, and distracting, and makes Lovett say, “okay,” instead of something that comes from his actual brain. He does say, “my fake boyfriend,” to Tommy, and Tommy shrugs and agrees with a simple, “sure, yeah.”

“That’s very principled of you,” Lovett tells him.

Tommy smiles, taking the compliment with a grace Lovett doesn’t understand and does envy, before saying, “thanks. I didn’t care before you made me care, though, so they’re your principles, really. I’m borrowing them. That okay?”

What’s okay is the way Tommy’s hand is still doing the thing. What’s not okay is that the Principal’s going to expect them to be able to get up without weak knees in any minute now and join him in his office, and if Tommy’s hand keeps doing the thing, Lovett’s knees aren’t going to recover all day.

Lovett smiles, though. “It’s okay,” he says. “I don’t believe you - I think you’re plenty principled and I think you barely even listen to me when I try to express mine, but I also have no problem taking all the credit, so sure, continue.”

Tommy laughs. He keeps his hand on Lovett’s shoulder, and for a moment, Lovett thinks, _so this is what having a supportive boyfriend could be like._  

The door opens.

+++

_FAVS walks out looking slightly shell-shocked._

_FAVS: Your turn._

_He smiles at them, a little pained._

_LOVETT stands and walks into the office, TOMMY at his side._

_FADE OUT._

 

**_INT. DUNKIN’ DONUTS - AFTERNOON_ **

_Soundtrack:[Fun / Janelle Monáe, We Are Young](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv6dMFF_yts)_

_Two tables have been pushed together at the back of a nearly empty Dunkin’ Donuts, and the table is crowded around by teenagers. LOVETT takes a sip of the coffee and winces, giving TOMMY a betrayed look and making him laugh. FAVS laughs with him, offering LOVETT a donut as a peace offering. Next to him, EM leans over to steal the last maple glazed one, while HANNA leans into her and shows her pictures on her phone. DAN watches with amusement at the end of the table, sipping his coffee. At the other end, TRAVIS talks with PRIYANKA and TANYA, all three hunched around a napkin filled with complex sketches of… something._

+++

Lovett tries to get a glimpse of Travis’ napkin writings and gives up when he sees a drawing of a dick and one of a rabbit and decides he definitely does not want to know.

“We should have a toast,” he says instead, just to Tommy and Favs at first, and then to the whole table, loudly. “To Favs,” he proclaims, raising his shitty coffee in the air. Tommy follows suit immediately, while the others laugh at him first, but do it. “Our gay champion. Long may he reign.”

He takes a sip and so does everyone else, ignoring Travis’ indignant, “you have to hold eye contact when you cheers with someone,” and Priyanka’s accurate, “no you don’t, Travis, because it’s creepy.”

Favs is blushing and grinning, and Lovett shares a glance with Tommy that says, _doesn’t he glow nicely?_ and gets an eyeroll and a faint smile in return. 

It’s unreal how much more bearable Tommy is now he’s someone to share an ill-advised crush on their straight best friend with, rather than ill-advised competition for that person’s attention.

Bearable’s an understatement Lovett’s allowing himself because this coffee is the worst, and Tommy had promised him Dunkin’s mocha was at least drinkable.

Liar.

Favs clears his throat and says, “He said he’d have our backs, but we’ve still got to take the petition to parents.”

Lovett scoffs. “Leaving it to kids to do isn’t exactly the most supportive thing a Principal could ever do,” he says, but holds his hands up when Favs looks at him with a betrayed look. “No, I know,” he says. “He’s not actually the really bad kind of homophobic. I need to chill. I know.”

Favs lets it go.

“Well, I was thinking,” he says. “We’ll reach out to parents next week - I’ll use Student Council funds to send a mailer, or something - but I don’t, uh, want to out… anyone.” Favs pauses, looking around the group as if to avoid Tommy’s eyes. “So, I don’t know how to do it without mentioning the people involved.”

“Ugh,” Lovett says. “You know what would solve all our problems?” he asks the group at large.

“Good coffee?” Tommy asks sardonically. Lovett elbows him, vindictively pleased when he gets Tommy’s vulnerable side because his arm is over the back of the bench behind Lovett, where it’s been distracting him since Tommy put it there.

“If everyone were gay,” he says. “Or,” he tips his coffee at Tommy in acknowledgement, “queer in whatever way they fancy, I don’t care.”

“Strong encouragement,” Tommy tells him, his eyes laughing.

Em makes a speculative sound. Favs turns to her. They start a quiet conversation which looks private enough that Lovett allows himself to be distracted by Tommy asking, “if everyone were queer, what would you have to rant about?" 

“This coffee,” Lovett tells him. “Obviously. Also, I’d moan about how _many_ queer people there were and, presumably, how none of the good ones wanted to date me.”

Tommy gasps, fake and distracting. “What am I?” he asks, eyes sparkling.

“Someone who hasn’t taken me on a date yet,” Lovett is about to tell him, when Em bangs her hand down on the table and says, “Order!”

“Em’s had an idea,” Favs says, once everyone’s quiet and listening again.

“We can’t make everyone do it, obviously,” Em says, waving her hands. “Because that’d be just as shitty as them not letting Tommy and Lovett go together, but I think if we make it a thing, to make it, like, ‘you can’t even tell if it’s friendly or romantic, because it’s none of your business’ then it’ll be-”

“What’ll be what?” Lovett asks, reaching the limits of his patience.

“I think we should decide to go in same-sex couples,” Em says. “Like, okay, Favs has to take me because I’m not a senior, but once we’re there, Hanna, want to ditch Dan with me?" 

“Sure,” Hanna says. They grin at each other.

Lovett looks between them and Favs, briefly to Dan because his contemplative expression is comforting when Lovett himself is clearly not smart enough to figure out how this helps, then asks, “Okay, cute, but this helps how?”

“We’re going to invite all the seniors to take, like, someone…” Favs falters over the right words, starting again with a quick, encouraging look from Em. “Like boys take boys and girls take girls, because then it becomes not a big deal, right? Like you said, if everyone is, uh, LGBT, or could be, then even if people get pissed off, there are too many people for just two people to get picked out, right?”

Dan puts his hand up. Em, grinning at him, says, “yes, Mr. Pfeiffer?”

“I just want to remind everyone that I hadn’t actually asked Hanna yet,” he says. “Because I didn’t want anyone to get the wrong idea. So, Hanna, would you like to go to the prom with me so you can ditch me for Emily?”

Hanna laughs, says, “sounds great, but only if you ditch me for Favs.”

“Done,” Dan says, not even looking at Favs, but that’s clearly okay, because Favs is grinning in self-satisfaction anyway, clearly not put out in the least.

“This is supremely dumb,” Lovett says, struggling, for some reason, to get the words out.

“Is that the case?” Tommy asks, looking right through him.

Favs turns to him, smile dropping. “Oh, is it… I’m trying not to be a dick. Should we… not?”

Lovett looks away, which is difficult because he’s in the middle of the table, and actually he’d like to get out, now.

“Travis,” he says. “Move.”

Travis moves.

Lovett gets up and goes outside.

+++

_LOVETT leaves the table behind him watching him in silence._

_TOMMY, sighing, stands and goes after him, sharing a look with FAVS on the way._

_FADE OUT._

 

**_EXT: STREET / PARK - AFTERNOON_ **

_Soundtrack:[Hayley Kiyoko, Gravel to Tempo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOm2rGwmhWg)_

_Outside, on a busy street lined with parked cars, LOVETT starts walking towards the small dog park on the corner. He’s hunched over and glaring at his feet._

_TOMMY comes out behind him, catches up to him quickly, and joins him, so they’re walking together in silence._

+++

Lovett looks at Tommy out of the corner of his eye and says, “what?”

Tommy shrugs.

“Thought you might want a supportive boyfriend to listen to you,” he says. “If you want to rant, or whatever.”

Lovett frowns. “I’m not in a ranting mood,” he says. “And before you say anything, yes, I know, you thought I was always in a ranting mood, but I’m not right now so shut up.”

Tommy doesn’t say anything. He does give him a look, though, like: _really?_

So, he can fuck off.

Lovett doesn’t tell him to, though, and as they enter the park, he’s not sad that Tommy sticks with him. He doesn’t want to talk to him because he doesn’t know what he wants to say, yet, but he’s not upset that he’s not on his own. Lovett picks a tree, walks to it, and sits down underneath it. He starts violently picking grass from the ground and throwing it. Tommy sits next to him, perpendicular, so they’re looking in slightly different directions. He looks set to do some people watching and like he’s not bothered that Lovett’s there at all.

“I know you have to pretend to be a supportive boyfriend,” Lovett tells him. “And that’s why you followed me out, but I need you to actually be one for a minute, or fuck off, up to you, but no half-way shit, okay-”

“Okay,” Tommy says. He turns so his legs bump against Lovett’s at the knees, then pulls them up and rests his arms and his chin on top of them. He looks at Lovett, waiting.

“Shut up,” Lovett tells him.

Tommy rolls his eyes but says, “okay,” again, like it’s his job to accept whatever Lovett says right now no matter how dumb, and that makes Lovett ache for something he hadn’t known he wanted.

“I hate Favs’ idea,” Lovett tells him, quietly.

Tommy waits a beat for him to keep going, then says, “okay,” when it’s clear he isn’t going to. “Though, I’m pretty sure it was Em’s idea." 

“Whichever,” Lovett says. “I don’t like it.”

“Okay,” the broken record who has replaced Tommy says. Then he adds, “why?”

Lovett shrugs, unable to get his mouth to explain how it’s too much, for Favs and Em and the rest of them to do this. That for them to do something concrete to make it easy for Lovett to be himself, when at Lovett’s old school he’d literally been run out of the state for it, is more than he can compute without crying.

“They’re doing it for the right reasons,” Tommy reminds him. “Even if it’s the wrong thing, for whatever reason you’ve come up with.”

“Shut up,” Lovett says. “This is _my_ thing. If I don’t want them getting into it like this, then that should be that.”

Tommy considers him, then nods. “Sure,” he says. “But you’re going to have to explain to your fellow, um, queer boy why what they want to do is so bad, if you want me to back you up.” 

Lovett frowns. “You don’t have to back me up.”

“I know. I want to,” Tommy tells him. He knocks their knees together again. “Supportive boyfriend, remember?”

Lovett looks at him. Tommy looks back, steadily, and Lovett knows Tommy knows already what Lovett’s going to say, but he says it anyway. “That’s not real,” he tells Tommy, voice a little choked. He covers it, he thinks.

Tommy smiles. “Okay,” he says, easily.

Lovett represses a shiver that wants to tip him over into Tommy; make him lean up against him.

“You’ve been okay with Favs’ petition, with him arguing with the Principal,” Tommy rationalizes. “What’s different about this?”

Lovett shrugs.

“It’s just… more,” he says. He doesn't say,  _if they do this, it might mean I've made this such a big deal that my friends have to save me from my own head. It might mean it was never a big deal until I made it one. It means accepting help. Real help. Help that properly gets in the way of the way someone wants to live their life, just so I can live mine_. He bites the inside of his cheek and then makes himself add, “it’s more than. More than I expected.”

Tommy nods.

“Can I tell you what else it is?” He waits for Lovett to nod, smiles at him, and adds, “it means I can take you to prom without necessarily having to tell my mom I’m bi, just yet, if I decide I’m not ready to. Which, if I have to be honest, I was kind of starting to freak out about.”

“Oh,” Lovett says.

Tommy shrugs, smiling.

“That’s a good reason,” Lovett tells him. He takes a moment, picking more grass until he's started a pile. He takes a breath. Thinks about Em's earnest face, mirrored in Favs'. Wonders, if Favs is willing to do this, if he'd have accepted if Lovett asked him to go with him in a pity way. His stomach twists. “Sorry," he says. "I, um. Overreacted.”

“It’s okay,” Tommy tells him. “I get you didn’t want to, like, process it, with everyone there.”

Lovett stares, then tries not to, because that’s exactly it, and how did Tommy do that?

“I’ll… tell them it’s not a shitty idea, then,” Lovett says. He looks away. "You're right."

Tommy smiles at him. “Okay,” he says, and lets Lovett knock their knees together in rebuke, kind of, and kind of because it feels nice.

+++

 _A dog, off its leash, runs up and barrels into TOMMY, eager to be petted and having found the most eager of dog petters. TOMMY lavishes the dog in attention._ _LOVETT pets the dog, too, but his eyes keep getting drawn back to TOMMY._

_TOMMY catches his eyes, grinning at him, and LOVETT’s smile back lasts a little too long, until long after TOMMY’s attention has shifted back to the dog._

_FADE OUT._  

 

**_INT. MALL - AFTERNOON_ **

_Soundtrack:[Raleigh Ritchie, Unicron Loev](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Mov8B5QXs) _

_EM and HANNA, in the background, browse corsage options with the help of a confused, elderly shop assistant. DAN and FAVS, in the mid-shot, pick out matching black bow ties - clip-ons - and split up, DAN heading to join the girls, and FAVS moving to the foreshot. There, TOMMY and LOVETT bicker, TOMMY holding a green untied bow tie and LOVETT holding a plain black clip on._

+++

“You were the one who wanted the green one,” Tommy says. Lovett thinks he’s probably being very careful to control the volume of his voice even as he waves the tie emphatically.

“That was before I realized there are no green clip-ons,” Lovett tells him. “Let’s just get these.”

“No,” Tommy tells him.

“Then you’ll have a tie-less date, because if you think I’m learning how to tie one of those, you’ve got another thing coming,” Lovett tells him. In a very reasonable tone of voice, he’s sure.

“Oh, fuck’s sake,” Tommy mutters. “I’ll tie it for you. Look-” He reaches towards Lovett, only for Lovett to step back, automatically, because Tommy being that close is really not a good thing at the moment and because Lovett just likes his personal space. Tommy looks at him, letting his arm drop and starting to frown. “… Okay,” he says.

Lovett opens his mouth to say something distracting when he spots Favs over Tommy’s shoulder, grabs said shoulder, and spins Tommy around. “Favs can be your guinea pig,” he says, at a volume Favs can hear. Lower, he adds, “Because if you think I’m letting you near my neck when I don’t know if you know how not to strangle me with that, you’re wrong. Also, you’re welcome.”

Tommy shoots a sardonic look back at him, but Favs says, “what’s up?” and agrees readily enough when Lovett explains Tommy’s going to use him to demonstrate how to tie a bow tie.

Tommy loops the tie around the back of Favs’ neck, first, and smooths it down over Favs’ shoulders in what Lovett sees is an utterly unnecessary touch, but which, he reflects, if a crime, would be a blameless one.

“Chin up,” Tommy murmurs, using his thumb to gently tilt Favs’ chin where he wants it.

Lovett leans on a display, folding his arms, and settles in to enjoy the show. As if sensing Lovett’s eyes on him, or else just understanding him as Tommy seems to do where it comes to their mutual Favs problem, Tommy looks over his shoulder at Lovett, smirking at what he sees. Lovett rolls his eyes at him, but moves a little closer, all the better to see Tommy’s hands.

“So, you start like this,” Tommy tells Lovett, starting the knot, but Lovett stops listening. He’s too busy imagining himself in Favs’ spot, Tommy looming above him, speaking softly and the warmth of his breath on his skin; that, or Favs tying the tie for him, he’s not too fussy at this point, and he’s resigned himself to that. 

Lovett interrupts his reveries when he notices Favs’ Adam’s apple bob, though, in what Lovett can’t help but read as a nervous motion. Lovett swallows himself in sympathy. He must have imagined it, except then Tommy is finishing up and Favs is blushing prettily across the bridge of his nose.

Favs takes half a step back from Tommy. He locks eyes with Lovett, as if accidentally, and, for a second, shares guilt and shock across that connection.

Then he blinks, turns to Tommy with a smile, and asks, “how does it look?" 

Lovett bites the inside of his cheek and doesn’t panic.

He picks up a second tie, this one boxed up, and shoves it into Tommy’s stomach.

“Fine, we’ll do it your way,” he says. “I’m going to go help the girls.”

+++

 _LOVETT turns and walks into the background, leaving TOMMY holding onto the box and watching after him in bemusement._

_FAVS clasps a hand to TOMMY’s shoulder, probably, and gives him a look._

_Probably he’s still blushing._

_LOVETT doesn’t turn around to check._

_FADE OUT._

**_INT. LOVETT’S BEDROOM - EVENING_ **

_Soundtrack:[Ariana Grande, Into You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ekZEVeXwek)_

_A messy room; clean clothes heaped on available surfaces and dirty ones scattered on the floor. LOVETT stands in front of his mirror and does his best to adjust his hair so it’s at least mostly all going in the same direction, where it should be._

_There’s a soft knock on the door. LOVETT doesn’t react. The door opens, TOMMY walks in, shuts it behind himself. He looks at LOVETT for a moment with a faint smile as LOVETT picks up a brand new shoe and seems to be baffled by it as he tries to figure out the laces._

+++

“I draw the line way before tying your shoes for you,” Tommy tells him.

Lovett doesn’t turn around; just gives the finger in his general direction behind him. He hears a soft laugh.

“Those are going to kill your feet,” Tommy says.

Lovett figures out the lace, sits on his bed, and starts pulling the shoes on. They make a faint cracking sound as he does so, the shine coming off them betraying just how new and uncomfortable they’re going to be.

“We don’t all go to fancy parties with our parents, Tommy,” Lovett tells him. “Sorry I’ve not had to wear black leather shoes since I was thirteen. Fuck you.”

He glances at Tommy to see Tommy’s smiling at him, fondly, one eyebrow raised. “I’m speaking from experience,” Tommy says, nearly conciliatory and definitely mocking. “I wore mine to my cousin’s wedding last year and it was hell.”

Lovett doesn’t really have anything to say to that. He focuses on making really neat bows in his laces and then frets for a second over how much sock is visible, hoping his black socks will make that okay, but then again maybe he should wear a statement color?

He looks at Tommy, thinking he’s going to ask him what he thinks, but thankfully ( _thankfully?_ he thinks) he’s saved by how sinfully fuckable Tommy looks in his suit and bow tie and slightly scuffed, not brand new, very neat shoes. Lovett enjoys, for a moment, the way Tommy’s jacket emphasizes his tight, flat belly and hips; the way his pants make his legs look long and hide how pale they probably are; the way the collar and tie draw attention to the way Tommy’s throat bobs as he begins to blush at Lovett’s attention. Lovett gives himself one more moment to imagine the way his pants probably make his butt look particularly delicious, then picks his jaw up from the floor and says, “oh, how _dare_ you.”

“What?” Tommy asks.

“You know what,” Lovett says, not caring if he does or not. “Here.” Lovett grabs his tie from the box and throws it at Tommy. They both watch as it falls onto the bed instead, a foot from him, so Tommy has to reach across the bed to take it.

Tommy moves towards him, which Lovett is very aware he had just basically invited him to do, though he’s not okay with it happening, and stands in front of Lovett. He leans down over him, placing the tie around his neck carefully, like it’s some sort of vestment.

He’s careful not to meet Lovett’s eyes, and Lovett is careful to let him. Added bonus: Tommy’s chest is now right in front of Lovett and it’s a nice view - very distracting as Tommy’s hands deftly stay inches away from Lovett’s skin at all times as he makes quick work of tying the tie.

 _Fumble,_ Lovett thinks at him. _Then I’ll know_.

It’s a dumb thought, Lovett knows. If Tommy hadn’t fumbled when he’d done this for Favs, why would doing it for Lovett fluster him?

“There you go,” Tommy says, lightly, touching Lovett for the first time to smooth down Lovett’s collar. He hesitates, then says, “now you’re perfect.”

He steps back. He puts his hands in his pockets. Lovett doesn’t make the joke Tommy’s probably hoping for. He doesn’t even make the catty comment he’s probably expecting.

“Jonathan!” His mom shouts from downstairs. “You’re going to be late! I need a picture for your grandma!”

“Come on,” Lovett says.

+++

_LOVETT grabs his jacket and shrugs it on. TOMMY looks at him for another moment, then moves to open the door for him. They share a look, another hesitation, before LOVETT takes his cue and lets TOMMY be a gentleman for him._

_The door shuts behind them, leaving the camera behind._

_FADE OUT._  

END OF ACT TWO.

 

 

ACT THREE

_FADE IN:_

**_EXT. LOVETT RESIDENCE - EVENING_ **

_Soundtrack:[Taylor Swift, You Belong With Me](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuNIsY6JdUw) _

_From his perch leaning against his car, FAVS watches through the window as TOMMY smiles and ducks his head, MRS LOVETT’s hand on his shoulder and her smiling face turned up to him. They move out of view, and a moment later the front door opens. MRS LOVETT directs TOMMY and LOVETT to stand together, backs to the door, in front of a camera. TOMMY smiles, looking the perfect gentleman, as LOVETT glares daggers at his mom._

_FAVS’ folds his arms and looks down at the ground._

+++

“Come on,” Mrs Lovett is saying. “Stop being a pain, Jon. Tommy, don’t look so nervous! It’s okay. You don’t have to leave all that space between you two.”

“Mom,” Lovett says, voice tight but traveling to Favs. He smiles despite himself, looking up at them in time to see Tommy give Lovett an unnoticed and slightly panicked look before moving slightly closer and putting his arm around him.

Lovett tenses, Favs can tell - he grows an inch by Tommy’s side, for one thing - and looks at Tommy, blinks, and looks back at his mom.

“Smile, dear,” Mrs Lovett tells him.

Tommy’s smile is back to being what Favs thinks of as the perfect boyfriend smile and he hates it.

He hates that he’s alone by his car and it doesn’t matter that he’s going round to Em’s to pick her up on their way. He wants…

He wants.

He’s selfish.

He makes himself shut that part of himself up and looks again at Lovett and Tommy, seeing that Lovett has relaxed and has turned to Tommy, eyes sharp but mouth laughing as he says something that makes Tommy throw his head back to laugh.

Favs’ stomach twists and he makes himself keep watching.

“Mom, you said yourself we’re going to be late, and Favs is waiting,” Lovett says, pulling away from Tommy.

“Oh, Jon,” Mrs Lovett says, turning to him. “Come up! Let me get one of the three of you.”

Favs can’t say no to Mrs Lovett. Couldn’t without looking like a dick, and doesn’t want to, anyway. He finds himself moments later, having been pulled into the middle by an insistent Lovett, standing between the two of them. Tommy’s arm ends up around him this time, and Lovett lets him put a hand between his shoulder blades.

Favs grins widely at the camera, hoping it’ll hide his guilty blush, but pretty sure it doesn't.

Then Mrs Lovett is letting them go, telling them to have fun, and touching Lovett’s check to tell him, quietly, so that Tommy and Favs can pretend they don’t hear, how handsome he looks and how much she loves him. Lovett ducks his head, but Favs sees the soft smile he gives his mom.

“Thanks Mrs Lovett,” Tommy says, still the perfect boyfriend.

Favs opens his mouth to echo him before he realizes he shouldn’t, maybe, probably, as just their friend and driver, so he says, “um, I said I’d pick Em up in five minutes,” instead and gently ushers them to his car.

Tommy gets in the front seat, then turns around to Lovett in the back and tells him, “your mom’s great.”

Favs doesn’t have to look in the wing-mirror to know Lovett’s pulling a face, though he does anyway just to see what it does to his mouth. He catches the tail end of Lovett’s eye roll.

Sitting forward to - Favs realizes with a jolt - look Favs over, Lovett says, “look at _you_.” Then, “my boys.”

Favs’ stomach tightens. He smiles because he forces himself to, meeting Lovett’s laughing eyes in the wing-mirror.

“You clean up so well,” Lovett continues. “People should wear tuxes more,” he informs them. “I’d say, minimum, once a month, but more often the hotter you are.”

“Sure,” Tommy says. “Not exactly egalitarian, but I can’t say I don’t see the appeal.”

“You’d become desensitized,” Favs reasons, shooting a smile Lovett’s way now that this conversation is on more common ground; Lovett being ridiculous, and them humoring him, poking holes in his ideas.

Lovett sits back in his seat.

“Oh, you have no idea,” Lovett tells him. “If you knew how hot you look in your tuxes, the two of you, to a discerning gay of good taste, you couldn’t possibly say that.”

Tommy rolls his eyes fondly, then says to Lovett, “oh, I might have some idea.”

They don’t make eye contact but fuck, Favs is not oblivious. The tension in the car rockets and not in an impending danger way. He blushes, keeping his eye on the road.

 _It’s cool that they’re comfortable to flirt in front of me,_ Favs tells himself. _It’s cool that they’re still trying to keep including me._

He keeps his eyes on the road.

+++

_FAVS drives with his hands at two and ten, checking his wing-mirror now only when necessary as a responsible car driver and not as someone who can’t keep waiting for LOVETT to give him his undivided attention._

_TOMMY and LOVETT share glances and grins, FAVS never quite catching how every third glance is directed his way._

_FADE OUT._

**_INT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT_ **

_Soundtrack:[P!nk, Raise Your Glass](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjVNlG5cZyQ)_

_The auditorium has been decked out in decorations. A banner congratulating the graduating class covers half the back wall, while white spreads cover circular tables around the edge of the dance-floor. In the photo corner, there’s a rainbow flag for the background of anyone who wants to use it, and there are distinctly fewer boy-girl couples than usually found at the average prom._

_FAVS watches from one of the tables as EM spins HANNA on the dance-floor. DAN sits next to him, sipping his drink, and TOMMY and LOVETT are at the drinks table in the background._

_FAVS stands, walking out onto the dance-floor and stopping next to EM._

+++ 

“I know you’ve ditched me and Dan, but can I have one dance?” Favs asks, offering his hand to Em but directing his smile at both of them.

Hanna smiles, squeezes Em’s hand, and says, “sure, but one and one only, Favreau. I’m watching you.” The does the two-fingers-to-her-eyes, _I’m watching you_ thing.

Favs grins, then lets Em take his hand and spin him just like she’d just been doing for Hanna.

Em comes in close, after that, directing Favs to put his hands on her hips. They sway together for a few moments, until Em says, “Lovett and Tommy look happy. Relaxed.”

Favs looks for them and finds them near the tables, though Tommy’s doing the sprinkler dance and Lovett has his head thrown back, laughing, so either Tommy’s making fun of someone else’s dancing or he’s trying to persuade Lovett to join him. Either way, it's objectively cute. It makes Favs grin, pushing down the ache in his chest as he looks at them so happy together.

Favs smiles. “They do,” he says. He turns back to Em. “So do you.”

She grins. “Yes, I’m radiant, I know,” she tells him.

“You are,” Favs says. He touches her cheek. “Really.”

She smiles, a gentler thing than her grin. “So is it Lovett, or Tommy?” she asks.

Favs pulls back. “What?” He frowns, feeling himself flush. 

“Your crush, babe,” Em says. One of her hands moves comfortingly on his shoulder, not letting him move away as he goes to step away from her. “Come on. It’s okay,” she tells him.

“I-” Favs cuts himself off before he tries to deny anything. He feels how his mouth has twisted downwards and how he can’t help it and looks at her miserably. “I don’t know,” he says. “Both? Lovett, first, but then Tommy, too. Maybe Tommy first. I don’t know.”

Em nods, squeezing his shoulder. She stops dancing and hugs him, full body, instead. “I’m sorry you’re not happy tonight, too,” she says quietly while they’re pressed together.

“I am,” he insists.

Pulling away, Em takes his hands and puts them back on her hips, continuing their dance. She smiles at him and doesn’t contradict him, but she doesn’t let him look away from her, either.

Until he says, “I do have such a big crush on you.”

Her smile blooms. “Oh, I know,” she tells him. “Me too. And if you weren’t about to go to college, we’d be dynamite.”

He smiles back. “Even though I’m… y’know.”

“Into two other people?” Em asks, eyebrow raised. She shrugs. “Why not? There’s enough of you to share.”

Favs laughs. “I don’t think the sharing’s an option,” he tells her, and brings their hands up to spin her before she can argue.

Em let’s him do it, and at the end of their dance, she leans up and kisses him on the forehead. “Never say never,” she tells him.

+++

_EM slaps FAVS on the butt as she walks back to HANNA, leaving FAVS standing on his own in the middle of the dance-floor with a giant grin on his face and disbelief etched in the crease between his eyebrows._

_FADE OUT._  

 

**_INT. SCHOOL HALLWAY - NIGHT_ **

_Soundtrack:[Robyn, Dancing on my Own](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J294A-R1Cjk)_

_A TEACHER - youngish, male, wearing a grey suit with a fake flower in the pin, on his phone - is standing in the hallway between the two bathroom doors._

_LOVETT walks straight past him, wiping his hands on the back of his tux pants as he walks back towards the auditorium doors, from which music can be heard as they open, and FAVS emerges. He stops when he sees LOVETT, then comes towards him, smiling, but fidgeting with his hands._

_When he reaches LOVETT, FAVS puts his hands on his shoulders and holds on._

+++

“Lovett,” Favs says. “I’m really happy you’re happy with Tommy, but I need to tell you something.”

Lovett stares up at him, confusion obvious as he opens his mouth and closes it on whatever the first thing he thought to say was. “Okay,” he says finally.

“Okay,” Favs says.

He looks at Lovett, and opens his mouth, and closes it. 

“Shit,” he says. “I don’t know how to say this.”

Lovett’s confusion has given way to something terrible to look at, because it’s so small it’s like Lovett thinks it’s going to be crushed, and it’s also terrified, and Favs doesn’t know the words for this.

He thinks of what he’d said to Em and thinks, _is it okay to use the same words for two people?_

And hates the idea.

And hates, more, that he has no words for this. For Lovett.

“Favs…” Lovett says quietly. “It’s… it’s okay. You don’t have to do this.”

Favs laughs, frustrated, and says, “yeah, I do.”

Lovett stares at him, and when still Favs says nothing, he rolls his eyes and says, “well could you do it, then? You’re killing me. Either you’re going to tell me you’re dying or you’re trying to… I don’t know…”

“I’m not dying,” Favs says. He hesitates. “C’mon, what’s the other option?” he asks, because he’s a coward.

Lovett narrows his eyes at him, eyes bright. “Fuck you, you coward,” he says, because he’s never needed any help to see Favs.

“Sorry,” Favs says. “I don’t know why this is so difficult.”

“Well, I’d love to say, ‘ _welcome to being a queer teenager_ ,’” Lovett tells him, sarcasm dripping from his words even as his voice struggles to stay level. “But you haven’t fucking _told me_ , so. Maybe… maybe I’m wrong.”

Favs laughs, a little brokenly.

“I know. Sorry,” he says again. “You’re right, though, I am. And… and I like you. I like you a lot.”

Lovett stares at him. “Oh,” he says. He wets his lips, his little pink tongue flicking out and drawing Favs’ attention to it like a magnet. “Really?”

Favs nods.

“Oh,” Lovett repeats.

“Sorry,” Favs repeats himself, feeling very unsure and very desperate to keep holding onto Lovett.

“Fuck off,” Lovett tells him. “I don’t want you to be sorry. You _like_ me.” He grabs hold of one of Favs’ wrists and holds on to it. “You like me. That’s… Big.”

“I know,” Favs says. “That’s why I’m sorry. And why it took me so long to say. But I do.”

Lovett nods, looking at Favs and biting his lip, like he’s holding back all the things he wants to say to him until he finds the right thing. Favs wants to tell him to stop self-editing, to tell him that that’s Favs’ job. That’s what he does; listens to all the stupid crap Lovett says and mines it for gold, sure, always so sure, that the gold will be there for him to find.

Lovett’s face falls. “You couldn’t have told me in a week, though?” he asks. “Because you like me, and I like you, but it’s prom. I’m here with Tommy.”

Favs winces. “No, I know,” he says. “I know, but that’s the thing, I-”

“Tommy,” Lovett says, cutting him off, and for a second Favs thinks he’s just repeating his reminder to Favs, but then he sees where Lovett’s looking and registers how the music just got louder, like the door’s open behind him, and of course Tommy’s behind him.

“Tom,” Favs says.

Lovett steps back from him, breaking his hands from their place on Lovett’s shoulders. The teacher behind Lovett glances up at the three of them, then straight back down to his phone.

Tommy lets the door fall shut between them, walking closer and smiling, tightly. “Hey,” he says. “What’s up?”

Lovett laughs. He puts his hands over his face for a moment, then drops them and says, decisively, “dancing. C’mon, Tommy.” He rounds Favs and grabs onto Tommy’s hand, pulling him back towards the door. “Let’s dance.”

Tommy stays where he is. He puts his hand on Lovett’s and says, softly, “Lovett.”

Lovett stops.

Lovett doesn’t drop his wrist. Favs watches as he adjusts his grip, tightening it, as if doing it unconsciously.

“Sorry, Tom,” Favs says. “This is my fault.”

His stomach is lead. Lovett looks at him, pleading with him to shut up, and Favs ignores it, even though he was the one, not Lovett, who stole his dad’s rum last year, on prom night, when Tommy’s girlfriend dumped him, and he’d been…

Not okay.

“Lovett’s right,” he says. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Tommy looks at him. Studies him. He’s trying for a smile, but it’s faint.

“What did you say?” Tommy asks.

“Nothing,” Lovett says.

Tommy turns to him and tells him, “that’s obviously not true.” Then, when Lovett looks desperately down at Favs, catches himself, and looks down at the floor, Tommy steps closer to him and says, softly, just barely in Favs’ hearing, “it’s okay, Lovett. I’m not going to fall apart." 

Lovett looks up at him, glaring, for some reason Favs can’t quite fathom.

Then Lovett reaches up, takes hold of Tommy’s chin, tilts it down and kisses him.

Tommy makes a sound, like surprise.

Favs watches, and thinks, _oh_. _Shit, okay_.

He keeps watching as Tommy lifts a hand and tangles it in Lovett’s hair, slowly, almost as if he’s hesitant, and he keeps watching as Lovett takes hold of Tommy’s hip, his grip on him white-knuckled. 

Favs had known, absently, that they’d been careful, since they started dating, not to do this kind of thing in public. He’d been glad about it, too, since even Tommy slinging an arm over the back of Lovett’s chair or them sharing a milkshake straw’s been enough to make Favs feel so jealous, he doesn’t know how he’s hidden it. Hadn’t cared if anyone did notice.

But watching them kiss is different. Favs feels totally alone, but not exactly jealous. Not like he did before. They’re too sweet with each other for jealousy. He doesn’t want to ruin it for them.

He looks away. Watches his feet, and tells them to move, and after a moment they start to take him past them towards the door. Not to the auditorium, though; outside.

That’s enough prom for him. 

+++

_FAVS opens the doors out into the parking lot, steps through them, and lets them slam shut behind him._

_TOMMY and LOVETT remain, hands tightening._

_FADE OUT._

 

**_EXT. SCHOOL PARKING LOT - NIGHT_ **

_Soundtrack:[Troye Sivan, YOUTH](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYAghEq5Lfw)_

_Sitting in an aging grey Audi, FAVS has his head on the wheel, resting, abject. His clip-on bow tie lies abandoned on the dashboard; his top buttons are undone, and his sleeves are rolled up._

_The shot stays on FAVS, but in the wing-mirror two indistinct figures become visible. They can be heard, faintly, from inside the car as they come closer, bickering about who’s getting in the front seat._

_TOMMY knocks on the passenger side window, gently. FAVS looks up at him. Holds for a beat, then leans across the gearbox to pop the lock up._

_TOMMY climbs in. He leans over the back of his seat to let LOVETT in the back behind him, who shuffles in and hangs over the back of FAVS’ seat. He takes up less space in the car than usual._

+++

“I was going to leave,” Favs tells them, smiling wanly. “But. I drove, so.”

Tommy huffs a laugh. “We’re glad you’re still here, idiot. You… you like Lovett?” he asks, voice inclining in uncertainty.

Favs glances between the two of them. He nods.

Lovett laughs, sounding not a little hysterical. Tommy smiles at him. It’s a little brittle, but the way he reaches back to the back seats to hold onto Lovett’s knee, twisted all round on himself in the car seat, is nothing but gentle.

“I’m glad,” Tommy says, sort of to both of them and sort of, Favs suspects, to himself.

“Are you?” Lovett asks. It’s with disbelief, though, not antagonism.

“Tom,” Favs says, and gets cut off. 

“It’s okay, really,” Tommy tells him. Holds his hands up in mock surrender. “Look, me and Lovett are… until a month ago, we hated each other over you, and then we realized that, and we bonded over you, and over our own shit, too, and now… I don’t know. I don’t want either of you to be unhappy with a second choice or nothing when we can just. I don’t. Share, I guess.” 

Favs stares at him.

“Tommy,” Lovett says, leaning closer to them both. “You broke him.”

Favs looks at him and sees how unsure Lovett is, but at least he’s joking, and he’s… His lips are bruised red to hell, but Tommy said share, so.

“Tom-”

“Just- know I’ve gone from hating him,” Tommy says, looking at Lovett with a smile that’s fond and sweet even as he’s barely breathing normally. “To thinking he’s, maybe, one of the best people. So. Don’t, um. I need you to share him fairly, okay? Because-”

“Tom-”

“Fuck’s sake,” Lovett says. “Tommy. Let him speak. He… it takes him a while.”

“Oh,” Tommy says. “Okay, I can-”

“I’m serious, Vietor,” Lovett tells him. “Bite your fucking lip before I do it for you.”

Tommy laughs, as if it’s shocked out of him, as Favs watches Lovett go beat red. He wants to say something like, _don’t give me mental images like that if you want me to string a sentence together any time soon_ , but since doing so would involve stringing together that sentence, instead he says, “Fuck, Lovett.”

Tommy looks at him.

“You two have been driving me mad all month,” Favs says finally.

Tommy opens his mouth, winces, and looks at Lovett. Favs sees the tight grip Lovett now has on Tommy’s hand on his knee. He’s absurdly grateful.

“I didn’t know how I felt until you got together,” he says. “But, um. Then I couldn’t stop thinking about it. You. Both of you.”

He chances a look at Tommy and sees hope, but not certainty.

“C’mon, Tommy,” Favs says. “You’re… I… Fuck.” He closes his eyes, thinking it might be easier, and breathes, “I like you. Both.”

He still has his eyes closed - is about to open them again, he swears - when Tommy’s hand finds his cheek.

“Go on, Favs, look at him,” Lovett murmurs, close, making Favs flush brightly. “He’s waiting for you.”

Tommy kisses him.

He only pulls back to hand him off to Lovett, and Favs knows he’s not going to find an answer but he’s going to look forward to putting a lot of mental energy into figuring out which kiss he likes best.

Both, he thinks. Certain.

Lovett passes him back to Tommy before Favs develops a crick in his neck and Tommy says, “I like you, too, bozo.”

Favs opens his eyes, finally, to grin at him.

“Cool,” he says.

“Very,” Lovett agrees, with a disbelieving grin he'd probably hate other people to see, normally, and yet here he is. Letting his happiness be seen. He kisses Favs’ jaw, then Tommy’s, and says, “I love stubble. Boys are great.” Then before Favs can preen too much or allow his chest to actually burst open the way it wants to, he adds, “Also, we literally just got together in the hall, so. Um. We were lying to you all month. Sorry." He grins at Favs. "Tommy, distract him.”

Favs pulls back, looks between them. Says, “what?” and then, on second thought, “fuck it,” and lets Tommy do as he’s told.

+++ 

_FAVS and TOMMY trade kisses until Favs pulls back. TOMMY’s hand touches FAVS’ chest as LOVETT leans in to take over, kissing TOMMY sweetly, as if for FAVS' personal enjoyment._

_FAVS takes a hand each from both of them, a broad, irrepressible smile on his face._

_FADE OUT._  

END OF ACT THREE.


End file.
